Friday, July 31, 2009

yes, it is one of the fundamental rights of mohammedans: to drop babies 50 feet. didn't you know? it is clearly mentioned in their books.

but i am amazed that a mohammedan practice has been criticized by the "human rights" banshees, and even more that it has been reported by AP, and that too by a christist reporter. what happened to the cozy little christist-mohammedan conspiracy to only attack hindu practices?

"In Belarus, the authorities are hassling an independent protestant church, New Life, (which just happens to be popular with the country's downtrodden Roma minority)."

so the godmen are converting the gypsies through inducements and allurements. exactly as they convert tribals and harijans in india.

and how they created the LTTE in sri lanka.

standard godman modus operandi.

and soon you'll be hearing of roma terrorists, you mark my words. they will be seeking independent homelands goaded on by the church godmen (note that these are baptists or pentecostals or something, who are "preying upon my flock" as ratzy and his predecessor wotdzja are prone to whine.)

Once upon a time, in a nice little forest, there lived an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. By a surprising coincidence, both were blind from birth. One day, the bunny was hopping through the forest, and the snake was slithering through the forest, when the bunny tripped over the snake and fell down. This, of course, knocked the snake about quite a bit.

"Oh, my," said the bunny, "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I've been blind since birth, so, I can't see where I'm going. In fact, since I'm also an orphan, I don't even know what I am."

"It's quite ok," replied the snake. "Actually, my story is quite the same as yours. I too have been blind since birth and also never knew my mother. Tell you what, maybe I could slither all over you, and work out what you are so at least you'll have that going for you."

"Oh, that would be wonderful" replied the bunny.

So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and said, "Well, you're covered with soft fur, you have really long ears, your nose twitches, and you have a soft cottony tail. I'd say that you must be a bunny rabbit."

"Oh, thank you, thank you," cried the bunny, in obvious excitement. The bunny suggested to the snake, "Maybe I could feel you all over with my paw, and help you the same way that you've helped me."

So the bunny felt the snake all over, and remarked, "Well, you're smooth and slippery, and you have a forked tongue, no backbone and no balls. I'd say you must be Manmohan Singh!

The fallacies behind India's Pakistan policy

Dangerous misconceptions

Brahma Chellaney

Even though India's extended hand has been slapped again and again by Pakistan, right-minded Indians still desire peace and stability on the subcontinent — but with dignity. Instead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's one-sided commitment to "go more than half the way" to make peace with Pakistan, India's correct position should be that it is ever ready to walk more than half the distance on cooperation or confrontation, depending on whether Pakistan wants peace or war.

of course it's not news. all of us knew that she was no terrorist. it was on the orders of the kkkangress that the ELM made the "mohammedan-hindu-equal-equal-terrorist" noise.

just like the kkkangress now says "pak-indian-equal-equal-victims-of-terror".

the ELM are the most evil characters in india, even more so than the kkkangress and the godmen.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Sudhir

Where are the Ghoses, Slurdesais, Roys, Burqa's. When the Malegaon case initially happened, even a fart by a peon in the ATS used to be breaking news. ANd now this news - No mention on IBNLIVE, INDIATIMES. NDTV has it as a ordinary news item.

i am delighted that sarvesh has been goaded into action by the WSJ's writing and rejoinder, which, when i last looked, hadn't been responded to. (m. patel, i did post a slightly enhanced -- and alas, typo-filled -- version of what was posted here to the comments section of the article.)

good stuff regarding traditional hindu charity.

i have no particular opinion on hindu charitableness, other than to note that what we donate to temples is siphoned off in the billions by the government and given to the christists and the mohammedans. i simply used the occasion to flog one of my hobbyhorses, the crude and offensive term 'hindu rate of growth'. i should actually have flogged 'nehruvian penalty' too. why, if raj krishna (prize ass) is a 'famous economist' for dreaming up the former, i should be a 'famous economist' for dreaming up the latter. [no snide comments about me being a prize ass, too, ok? i wield the moderator's baton -- 'off with his head' :-)]

In a recent article on Wall Street Journal, its bureau chief in New Delhi Paul Beckett has wondered why India's rich were not generous enough towards charity, has exhorted them to 'open their wallets', and implicitly made reference to the Hindu roots of the phenomenon.

His misguided opinion is a typical example of how the western journalists posted in India develop their views and spread the typical stereotypes about India, whose spirit they have never tried to, or succeeded in, grasping. His usage of the derogatory term "Hindu Rate of Growth" reminds us of a similarly stale and offending commentary on the growth of Indian Industry by another western journalist stationed in India, Edward Luce, in his 'In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India'. Unfortunately for them, these western commentators on the economics of India are prisoners of their cognitive cocoon, and while physically being here, they fail to understand the experience of Hindu Civilization and keep ignorantly applying the norms and standards of their own culture when commenting about India.

Rajeev Srinivasan has masterfully responded with his incisive reply to the ignorant premise taken by Beckett on the "Hindu Rate of Growth", and Dr. Koenraad Elst has dissected at length Luce's outlook in a recent article. Here we shall share some random thoughts from the historical perspectives on Hindu outlook to economy and charity, and try showing how, there is continuity even today, although latent, of the same outlook prevailing among the more traditional Hindu shreShThins of our age.

The very reason why industry is needed to flourish, according to kauTilya, is to spread dharma in society which alone can beget lasting and all-round happiness. artha, the economy, he says, is the most important function of society, as it is solely from this basis that both the fulfillment of dharma and pursuit of desires can be accomplished ("arthaiva pradhAnaiiti kauTilyaH arthamUlau hi dharmakAmau iti: AS 1.7.6-7). Economy is like a tree, further says kauTilya, if whose roots are rooted in dharma, it produces the fruits of happiness. Achievement of such dhArmika wealth further promotes dharma and produces more wealth and gives more pleasure. This is the achievement of all the gains. (dharma-mUlatvAt kAma-phalatvAchArthasya dharma-artha-kAma anubandhA yA^arthasya siddhiH sA sarva.artha.siddhiH AS9.7.81)

Creation of wealth for the welfare of society was considered so important that bR^ihadAraNyaka upaniShada relates that bramhA was compelled to create the vaishya-s skilled in industrial enterprise and organizing business, since the first two varNa-s proved incapable or disinclined in doing so. ("…sa naiva vyabhavat, sa viShamasR^ijat, yAnyetAni devajAtAni, gaNASha AkhyAyante…").

So, continuous creation of wealth is of absolute importance for the stability of society, which is required for the growth of dharma. kauTilya holds that if happiness is the objective and strength is the power, then wealth is one of the three types of those strengths to achieve it. ("shaktiH siddhishca | balaM shaktiH | sukhaM siddhiH | shaktistrividhA … kosha-daNDa-balaM…" AS6.2.31-34), and it is one of the reasons, why a government is needed, that is for prospering the society and spreading the dharma. A government is required for security of wealth, and once peace and industry is ensured (through a 6-fold policy that he enumerates), all-round wealth is automatically created. ("shamavyAyAmau yogakSemayoryoniH | shamavyAyAmayoryoniH ShADguNyam…" AS6.2.1&4).

However not only ensuring the right environ for society to generate and secure the wealth, but also the guarantee that the wealth really reaches the people, is counted by kauTilya as a basic prerequisite. ("…loka-priyatvam artha-saMyogena vR^ittiM… AS1.7.1). Therefore, the wealth of society is to not only be protected but also distributed. It is the people who are, for him, the center of good governance, and without attention to them a society, he says, is like a barren cow, useless and yielding no milk. ("puruShavad hi rAjyam; apuruShA gaurvandhyeva kiM duhIta… AS7.11.24-25")

Hoarding of wealth, without either consuming it or distributing it, is throughout denounced by all the Hindu thinkers and dharma-shAstrakAra-s. Traditional wisdom tells us that charity, enjoyment, and destruction, wealth is only destined to go in one of these three ways. One who neither spends in charity, nor enjoys it, his is sure to go by the way of the third, i.e. destroyed. ("dAnaM bhogo nAshastistrI gatayo bhavanti vittasya; yo na dadAti na bhu~Nkte cha tasya tR^itIyA gatirnAshaH — vikrama charita, Andhra, 3.86).

A more aesthetically presented view of the same thought, from another source: 'the wealth of those who simply hoard theirs, is eventually enjoyed not by them but by the others, like the honey collected through the industriousness of someone else is eventually consumed by someone else!' ("ati-saMchaya-kartR^iNAM vittamansya kAraNaM; anyaiH saMchIyate yatnAdanyaishcha madhu pIyate": vallabhadeva.474).

Another author intuitively compares unconsumed and hoarded wealth with daughters, who are lovingly brought up with care and affection by parents, only to eventually go off to someone else's household! (upabhogakAtarANAm puruShANAm arthasaMchayaparANAm; kanyAratnamiva gR^ihe tiShThantyarthAH parasyArthe: v.482)

One must also notice that while wealthy are appealed to spend towards their social responsibility throughout the wide array of shAstra-s, quoting which at length would amount to compiling several volumes, it is not the charity alone for which the wealthy are being exhorted for the welfare of society, but also simply for consumption and enjoyment of their wealth, thereby keeping money in circulation to ensure a wider and broader distribution of wealth. The circulation of money ensures the chain reaction of wealth-creation in society, as kauTilya says, wealth creates more wealth, like the roaming elephants procreate and gather more elephants ("arthair arthA prabadhyante gajAH pratigajairiva…AS9.4.27").

chANakya does recognize that the wealthy could easily grow a tendency of hoarding their riches and not share it with the commonwealth of the society, therefore not only does he warn the King to be cautious of such hoarding capitalists and keep them under watch, but in the spirit for which kauTilya is known, also suggests some innovative ways of how the King could justly rid such ones of some of their wealth when needed. One nice contrive he suggests is not devoid of some humour, although kauTilya must have been serious prescribing it. The King might employ a spy who takes the garb of a rich merchant, or even employ a real trustworthy merchant, who shall then go to the intended business and borrow the desired sum in gold or silver or some other costly or imported merchandise, and then having procured this loan, this spy can suitably "allow himself to be robbed", maybe at the same night!

So no wonder, another text informs the accumulators, that their wealth, unless they spend it more generously or conduct charities, will invite only the attention of crime and decay. 'One who neither enjoys his wealth nor donates it to those worthy of it, must rest assured that his accumulation would find its way either to the houses of the thieves or eventually rot in the belly of the earth'. (saMchitaM kratuShu nopayujyate yAchitaM guNavate na dIyate; tat-kadarya-pariraKShitaM dhanaM chaurapArthiva gR^iheShu gachcHati) One well-known snippet of wisdom differentiates between the charitable rich and the shameless accumulators, by employing the simile of clouds and ocean, and says that 'the glory of donors always thunders from the sky like the clouds that generously give us water, while those who keep on accumulating wealth without returning, always rot at the lowest strata of rasAtala like the ocean which only knows to receive and store'. (gauravaM prApyate dAnAt na tu vittasya sa~nchayAt; sthitiH uchchaiH payodAnAM payodhInAM adhaH sthitiH)

Some of the popular aphorisms attributed to chANakya advise us likewise, that 'while a man must learn to be content with his wife, his wealth, and his food, he should never tire in zealously conducting these other three things: learning, recitations, and more charity'. (santoShas triShu kartavyaH sva-dAre bhojane dhane, triShu chaiva na kartavyo-dhyayane-japa-dAnayo : chANakya-nIti-darpaNa 7.4)

Another one points to the right and wrong ways of picking up fields for conducting charity: 'Feeding a man who is not hungry is as useless as clouds raining over the ocean, and donating to someone who is not needy is as useless as lighting a lamp in the daylight'. (yathA vR^iShTiH samudreShu tR^iptasya bhojanam; vR^ithA dAnam samarthasya vR^ithA dIpo divApi cha: CND5.16)

This reminds us of that famous benchmark of charity established in the bhArata, narrated by a mongoose towards the end of the ashwamedha yaj~na of the pANDava-s. The mysterious mongoose who had half of his body as golden, announced to an astonished yudhiShThira that all the donations and charities made by pANDava-s during the yaj~na for which they were proud, were useless and not equal to even one fistful of crushed barley (saktU) donated by the family of a certain brAhmaNa. He then went on to narrate a tale of how one side of his body turned golden by just witnessing the sacrifice of that family which had nothing to eat and was starving, and having found this little crushed barley after tedious effort, as they were about to eat it, a guest appeared and begged them for it, and this starving family happily decided to offer it to him. That is charity, says mongoose in the fourteenth book of bhArata, adding since then he is roaming around to see another charity of that magnitude to turn the rest of his body golden too, but not succeeding.

We are also reminded of that prayer of kabIra, a householder saint, 'sA.I itanA dIjiye jAme kuTuma samAya, maiM bhI bhUkhA nA rahUM sAdhu a bhUkhA jAya': (Lord grant us just enough so that my family may survive; just that much, in which we don't sleep hungry nor a sAdhu returns hungry from our doors.)

What about the charity with black money accumulated by the corrupt businessmen? Not acceptable, says this medieval jaina text that deals solely with the regulation of donations. 'Donating such ill-earned money is of as much benefit', it says, 'as the medicine to that patient who refuses to follow the restrictions of pathyApathya prescribed by his doctor!' (yo vahyAshArjitArthassann kurvansa bahudhA vR^iShaM; doShI vA~ncHAnniva svAsthyaM bhuktvaivApathyamauShadhaM : dAnopashAsanam.179). It sternly says that like an infertile woman can not conceive, even if she goes to bed with a thousand men, auspiciousness does never arise in someone with evil methods and ill-gotten money, no matter how much charity done. (sahastra-jana-bhogepi vandhyAyAM najuto yathA…101). The same work also says that, in contrast, only the charity from the honest money earned by the noble businessmen flourishes in the aid of dharma; it never exhausts, never meets loss, nor is ever stolen, since if charity of honestly-earned money serves dharma, dharma too protects such earning and such charity. (satpuruSho-rjayati dhanaM yat sakalajaneShTa-sAdhu-vR^iddhashchaiva syAt; tasya dhanasya cha hAnirnAnupahata-dharma-bala-suguptasyaiva. 180)

The prospective receivers of charity had a right to reject the donation too, and they did reject such donations on many occasions. Comes to our mind that instance related in the ancient drama mR^ichcHakaTikA where a brAhmaNa stoutly declines the invitation to partake of a lunch and receive donation from a householder. The jaina text referred above probably explains why. That, by receiving the ill-gotten money, earned through various sins, the receiver (dvija) of such charity has to also share with the donor those sins, and is verily destroyed. (nija-pApArjitam dravyam dvijebhyo dadate nR^ipAH; tairnaShTA rAjabhirviprA dAnam doShadamuchyate. 9)

Another very important aspect which might be hard for the secularized variety to fathom is that it is the temples and the maTha-s, vihAra-s and the jinAlaya-s which were and are the trustees of the charitable commonwealth of society, and giving to them meant returning to the Lord who can then multiply it and return it back. While it is a well known knowledge and demands citing no special evidence, what is interesting is to notice that business in ancient India did more than simply financial contribution to the religious institutions – they also regulated as well as facilitated such charities, and behaved as the responsible trustees also for the small private donations as a very organized activity. We can do no better than quote Prof. R C Majumdar at some length:

"…furnished by an inscription of huvishka at mathurA, dated in the year 28 (c. 106 AD), (the prashasti) refers to an akShaya-nIvI (perpetual endowment) of 550 purANa-s each to two guilds, one of which was that of flour-makers (comment: so that this guild will now use the interest from this money for the intended charitable purpose on behalf of the donor). An inscription in a cave at nAsik, dated in the year 42 (120 AD), records the donation of 3000 kArShApaNa-s by UShavadatta, son-in-law of the shaka chief nahapAna. The gift was intended for the benefit of the Buddhist monks dwelling in the cave, and the entire sum was invested in the guilds dwelling at govardhana in the following manner: 2000 in a weavers' guild, the rate of interest being one per cent per month, and 1000 in another weavers' guild at the rate of 0.75 per cent per month. It is clearly stated that these kArShApaNa-s are not to be repaid, their interest only to be enjoyed."

"An inscription at Junnar records the investment of the income of two fields with the guild at koNAchika for planting kara~nja trees and banyan trees. Another inscription at junnAr records investment of money with the guild of bamboo-workers and the guild of braziers. A third inscription at junnAr record the gift of a cave and a cistern by the guild of corn-dealers. An inscription at nagarajonikonDA, dated 333 AD refers to a permanent endowment created by a person for the maintenance of the religious establishments made by him. The endowment consisted of a deposit of 70 dInAra-s in one guild and 10 each in three other guilds, out of the interest of which specific acts had to be done. Only names of two guilds are legible, namely those of pAnika (probably sellers or growers of betel leaves) and pUvaka (confectioners)." "The Indore Copper-plate Inscription of Skanda Gupta dated in the year 146, i.e. 465 AD, records the gift of an endowment, the interest of which is to be applied to the maintenance of a lamp which has been established in a temple for the service of the Sun-God."

"We learn from an inscription of vaillabhaTTasvAmin Temple at Gwalior, dated 933 VS, that while the merchant savviyAka, the trader ichcHuvAku and the other members of the Board of the SavviyakAs were administering the city, the whole town gave to the temple of the Nine durgA-s, a piece of land, which was its (viz., the town's) property. Similarly it gave another piece of land, belonging to the property of the town, to the viShNu temple, and also made perpetual endowments with the guilds of oil-millers and gardeners for ensuring the daily supply of oil and garlands to the temple. This long inscription preserves an authentic testimony of a city corporation with an organised machinery to conduct its affairs. The corporation possessed landed properties of its own and could make gifts and endowments in the name of the whole town."

"Mention is made, by name, of four chiefs of the oil-millers of shrI-sarveshwara-pura, of four chiefs of the oil-millers of shrI-vatsasvAmI-pura, and four chiefs of the oil-millers of two other places, and we are told that these together with the other (members) of the whole guild of oil-millers should give one palika of oil per oil-mill every month (to the temple). Similarly, the other endowment was to the effect that the seven chiefs, mentioned by name, and the other (members) of the whole guild of gardeners should give fifty garlands every day."

Such was the public charity and maintenance of social wealth, through cooperative and democratic organization. Prof. Majumdar notes that, "the objects with which these endowments were made are manifold, and due performance of them must have required extra-professional skill. Thus one guild is required to plant particular trees, while several others, none of which had anything to do with medicine, were to provide it for the sick." Several other inscriptions, particularly and more clearly from, although not limited to, the draviDa country reinforce this view. Prof. Majumdar notes how a combination of a village pa~nchAyata, democratically elected, organized the charity in draviDa country, and used to form the very basis of the economic functioning of the villages and to the spread the benefit of the commonwealth: "An inscription of rAjArAja choLa records the gift of a sum of money by a merchant, from the interest of which the Assembly and the residents of tiruviDavandai had to supply oil to feed a perpetual lamp. Sometimes these endowments involved two-fold banking transactions. We learn from a choLa inscription that a merchant made over a sum of money to the residents of taiyUr on condition that they should pay interest in oil and paddy to the Assembly of tiruviDavandai for burning a lamp in the temple and feeding 35 Brahmanas. There are other examples, too numerous to be recorded in detail, where the South Indian records represent the Village Assemblies as public trustees or local banks."

Temples likewise served as the repository of public wealth, and lent their money for public works in the time of its need like famine, floods or epidemic. "An inscription at ala~NguDI dated in the 6th year of rAjArAja refers to a terrible famine in the locality. The villagers had no funds to purchase paddy for their own consumption, seed grains and other necessaries for cultivation. For some reasons, the famine-stricken inhabitants could expect no help in their distress from the royal treasury. Accordingly the Assembly obtained on loan a quantity of gold and silver consisting of temple jewels and vessels from the local temple treasury. In exchange for this the members of the Village Assembly alienated 8314 velI of land in favour of the God. From the produce of this land the interest on the gold and silver received from the temple was to be paid. A Chola inscription also records that the Assembly borrowed money from temple treasury on account of "bad time" and scarcity of grains." Yet another one informs how "the Assembly received an endowment of 100 kAsu from an individual for providing offerings in a temple and for expounding shiva-dharma in the Assembly-hall built in the temple by the same person. They utilized the sum for repairing damages caused by floods to irrigation channels." [above quotes from R C Majumdar are from his masterpiece "Corporate Life in Ancient India"]

When the above was happening in the choLa country, a little while from now, rAjendra choLa's friend and ally in North India, bhojadeva the paramAra would be establishing new standards of charity for merchants in his own country. The collective Hindu subconscious remembers the times of Bhoja as much for his charity, as for his valour and scholarship. It is this impression which is reflected when the jaina AchArya merutu~Nga states that two commodities were always precious and in demand in the kingdom of bhoja: Iron and Copper. Iron because of the excessive consumption by his military, and copper for the prashasti plates for donations! We might probably add the construction of temples and schools to the list. It was not the royal charity alone, but also the works performed by the merchants of his kingdom, such as in the famous bhojashAlA university, its central figure the vAgdevI of dhArAvatI was commissioned not by bhoja, but by a jaina lady named soShA hailing from a merchant family of his capital from her own money.

We can still happily notice the continuity of the same thought, to a large extent, prevailing even today among the more traditional wealthy Hindus. It comes as no surprise to learn that the donations to temples far exceed the amount spent on "charity" as claimed on the Income Tax returns. According to the Finance Ministry, the businesses filing corporate income taxes had recorded a total expenditure of about USD 2 billion during the year 2007. On the other hand the annual budget of Tirupati shrine alone, for the same year, exceeded USD 500 million: almost all of which goes to the charitable activities managed by the temple trust, besides a portion for the maintenance of the shrines. Now add to this amount the donations received by the other important Hindu shrines all over India!

For Hindu society, charity is not the only outlet of financial contribution to the society. We also hear the stories of complete financial sacrifice in the cause of the nation, such as that by the great jaina shreShThin of mewADa, whose name is permanently etched in golden letters on the rocky walls of the fort of Udaipur: Seth Bhamashah Oswal. In a few years after the battle of haldIghATI, mahArANA pratApa siMha was not left with any resources to carry on his resistance against the moghal tyrant. Disheartened, he is said to have decided to give up, just when, apparently inspired by ekali~Nga mahAdeva in a dream, patriotic ShreShThin met mahArANA and laid down at his feet all his wealth. Seth Bhamashah, the guild leader of the merchants of mewADa and mArawADa, was no small man, nor his donation a small sum. With this financial sacrifice of patriotic businessman, mahArANA reorganize his senA and proceed to launch a renewed and rejuvenated tumultuous struggle. ShreShThin went further than just donating his money, and also advised mahArANA to attack and regain first the trade routes and stifle the supply chains of the moghals in west. It is by following this advise that in less than a decade, mahArANA quickly brought the imperial control to its feet and reclaimed almost entire mewADa. Seth also led from the front, leading a regiment of mahArANA's army, and fighting on battlefields along with an equally valiant brother of his, seTha tArAchanda oswAl.

Likewise, how can we forget the contribution of another great vaishya warrior, who a little before this time, rose to reclaim the Hindu independence in dillI by spending all his wealth on raising a senA to crush the foreigners and picking up a sword himself: himU, the son of a powerful merchant from mithilA. Moslem chroniclers use for himU the abusive epithet of 'bakkAla', a derogatory term for 'shopkeeper', alluding to his business background. An important aspect which one notices is that the underlying principle, stressed by the traditions in the enterprise of charity, is humility. Charity was not a matter of show for the Hindu, as it is generally in the west and as the westernized Hindu corporate is now learning these days as it seems, but something which was to be done silently. shAstra-s teach one to conduct charity in such a way that while one's right hand donates, the left does not even get the wind of it. It is these who are called the real udAra-s and dAtA-s, and it is their charity which is considered the real charity. 'Among the hundred men born', says this well known piece of wisdom, 'only one is found to be brave and among thousands born only one could become a paNDita, among ten thousands born only one grows to become a good orator but truly rare and precious is the birth of such real donors, when they happen or don't happen, knows who!' (shateShu jAyate shUraH… dAtA bhavati vA na vA)

This reminds us of the well-known kiMvadanti about a friendly exchange between tulasIdAsa and abdur-rahIm. We know that tulasIdAsa was well-known within the circle of Akbar, with at least one copper prashasti discovered at kAshI in context of an endowment made by Todarmal which relates to his considering tulasIdAsa as his master. According to this well-known narrative, once an acquaintance of tulasIdAsa needed some money for arranging the wedding of his daughter, and asked tulasIdAsa for financial help. Todarmal who used to govern kAshI was away those days for some military campaign in North West, so tulasI sent this man, with a letter of recommendation to rahIma, the adopted son of Akbar and the symbolic head of the moghal clan, khanekhAnA, who was known to be wealthy and charitable. rahIma received the man with humility, returned him with more money than requisitioned for, and also sent a humble letter of thanks for tulasIdAsa. Hearing of rahIm's humility, and reading the letter, tulasI replied back with a dohA, saying: "sIkhe kahAM nawAbajU denI aisI dena, jyauM jyauM kara Upara uThata tyauM tyauM nIche naina" ('Wherefrom did our dear nawAb learn this mode of giving / Higher rise his arms in charity, lower turns his gaze in humility'). To this rahIma is said to have replied, "denahAra koi aura hai deta rahata dina-raina, loga bharama hama para dharahi tA te nIche naina" ('The giver is someone else, who keeps giving day and night / people confuse us to be the donor, causing us the embarrassment'). At one place, rahIma himself says that, 'we consider those not alive, who only live on alms, but we consider those even deader, from whom charity does not come'. ("rahimana te jana to muye je jana maMgahi jAya; unate pahile te muye jinate nikasata nAhi")

We are reminded of another great mArawADI ShreShThin from va~Nga, the father of bhAratendu harishchandra, seTha harSha chandra, whose name is still taken with respect in the city of kAshI due to massive investments he made in the service of sarasvatI. bhAratendu, his son, or shall we say sarasvatI's son, went further and practically spent all his wealth in reviving Hindu culture, especially its languages, at a time when it was most needed: setting up schools and printing presses, establishing journals and granting scholarships all over the North India, and leading the intellectual assault from the front himself.

We remember Lala Lajpat Rai, the scion of a well known wealthy family from panjAb, who decided to dedicate all his wealth in the cause of the freedom struggle. At one place we read in the memoir by the elder son of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the grateful reminiscence of the services that the legendary lAlAji silently did from his wealth for the freedom struggle. Shastriji's son recounted here that lAlAji used to send money orders every month to those countless families whose bread winners were either languishing in British prisons or had been martyred. He also contributed in a major way towards founding of the Hindu University at kAshI.

Talking of the Hindu University of kAshI, let this be reminded that it started and continued to operate its massive infrastructure, solely on the private contribution from the wealthy Hindu businessmen and royals from across bhArata. It is only later, post-independence, that the government began contributing to it. Yet another important institution comes to mind that was started at kAshI for the Hindu revival even before this, the kAshI nAgarI prachAriNI sabhA, which made no small contribution in inflaming that flame of Hindu revival which now seems to have been all but extinguished. Even the functioning of that sabhA was the effort of the private Hindu charity effort.

Many years back, our father used to be in the employ of the shreShThin-kulabhUShaNa GD Birla's family for some years, and we are in intimate knowledge of how this family was and is committed to spending on public welfare, and especially for the spread and growth of dharma, much of which may not be known in public. We need not enumerate how this house is even today on the frontlines of charity, and doing so silently. We also remember the naidU shreShThI-s who founded the shAlA where we studied for a few years when living in the draviDa country. The wealthy founder of the institute had four sons, and the philosophy of this gentleman used to be to treat society as a fifth one and share the wealth among five, not four. Their attitude to philanthropy was also typical and somewhat peculiar. They used to impart Industrial Training to the needy and then finance the machine tools for them to become self-employed and be responsible for themselves.

Coming back to Beckett, we think he might be right when he said that charity was practically a competitive sport in US business. He probably had in mind the native Indians charitably pushed into the business of gambling and gaming? Or he probably meant the proposal of the State of California to make gambling legal in the state for charity purposes? Or maybe he had in mind the recent case of the State of Connecticut suing the charity founded by the NBA star Charles D. Smith, Jr. for spending away the funds collected for charity on cruise vacations, cars and beauty services!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Asra Ahmad Dar ---> skull crushed by his friend Imran Aslam Baba over an orkut friend!Kupwara resident ---> happily bonking with Ashiq Hussain and likely killed by own brothersZahoor Ahmed Mir ---> overdosed on drugsShopian women ---> one likely happily bonking with someone not liked by family, likely killed by the other's husband and his family

Common thread – all alleged murder on Indian security forces

It is as I have said – never mind what the facts are, Kashmir’s India colony is to blame

A truly beautiful lady – and gutsy too. loved the way she stood up to that ogre indira and the rest of the kkkangress goon brigade. I also love the way she showed up jawaharlal stalin for the idiot that he was

The only thing wrong I can think of is the tiger hunting – but I guess you have to put it down to royal privilege.

yet another way obama is revealing his true self: thuggish south-side-chicago racial/victim politics.

i think the cop was justified in arresting gates (i dont agree with shahyrar on that part). gates apparently berated the cop and despite warnings didn't stop. then the cop arrested him.

the cop, crowley, apparently teaches racial sensitivity classes at police academy. i suspect he went by the book, and gates, offended by the history of 'driving while black' etc. over-reacted.

and so did obama. he had no business dissing the police.

how like india's bleeding-heart liberals. as soon as any mohammedan has a problem (eg. shopian, where it turns out the girls were raped and murdered by mohammedan relatives) they immediately assume -- and propagandize -- that hindus were out to kill mohammedans.

Pak ready to work with India with full commitment and sincerity: PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan is ready to work with India with full commitment and sincerity towards opening of a new chapter in improving relations between the two countries.

"The results of meeting with my Indian counterpart in Sharm El Sheikh, was a major breakthrough. I hold Dr. Manmohan Sign in high esteem and respect and consider him a statesman with the vision of peace and prosperity", he said while chairing a Cabinet meeting specially convened to discuss Strategic Trade Policy Frame Work 2009-12 and Trade Policy 2009-10 as well as Electricity crises in the country at the PM's secretariat here on Monday.

Prime Minister in his opening statement briefed the Cabinet about his visit to Sharm El Sheikh and his meeting with the world leaders including the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the NAM Summit. He also apprised the Cabinet members of the status of IDPs.

The Cabinet applauded the efforts of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministry to promote good neighbourly relations with India on the basis of equality, mutual respect and for resolving all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir.

The Cabinet appreciated the wisdom and statesmanship demonstrated by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to chart the way forward through dialogue.

The Cabinet reviewed the demand and supply situation of electricity in the country. The meeting discussed ways and means to overcome power shortage by increasing electricity supply and adopting measures for energy conservations.

The meeting congratulated the Ministry of Environment for setting up a world record by planting over 500,000 trees in a single day which has been duly recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Cabinet formed a committee to consider the resolution passed by the Senate regarding restoration of the Haj quota for the Senators. The committee headed by the Minister for Religious Affairs comprises Leader of House in Senate, Chief Whip in the National Assembly and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.

Speaking on the issue of IDPs, The Prime Minister said that nothing is more important than the safe return and rehabilitation of IDPs. It is a matter of great satisfaction that military operation in Swat and FATA is successfully meeting its desired objectives and peace is gradually returning to these areas.

Prime Minister said that financial assistance to IDPs is being made in a transparent manner and phased return of IDPs has gradually picked up the momentum. He hoped that full return of IDPs will be completed in about a month痴 time in an orderly and peaceful manner. He extended his appreciation to all political parties, Federal and Provincial agencies and non-government organizations including the UN agencies for their support and extraordinary work for the IDPs.

He further added that once the return of IDPs is completed, the task of rehabilitation and reconstruction will be undertaken as a national cause and the government will extend all necessary financial support for this phase.

The Prime Minister reiterated that fight against terrorism would continue till complete elimination of the militants and return of peace and stability in the affected areas. He complimented the Defence Forces for the sacrifices they have made for the sake of national security.

Talking on his visit to Sharm El Sheikh, the Prime Minister said that before proceeding to Sharm El Sheikh, he had extensive consultations with the political leadership of the country and took them on board. He expressed gratitude to them for reposing confidence and extending support in building a consensus view on the matter. This greatly helped in making exchange of views with the Indian Prime Minister on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, productive and substantive, on July 16th, he added.

The Prime Minister said that during talks, he affirmed the importance that Pakistan attaches to working towards friendly and cordial relationship with India, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and mutual interest.

"I underlined the importance of early resumption of composite Dialogue process and Pakistan believed in the imperative of moving forward this process for confidence building which was the pre-requisite for resolution of all outstanding issues.

We had a detailed discussion on the issue of terrorism and I apprised him of the efforts we had already undertaken to investigate the case of Mumbai attacks, he informed the Cabinet"

Dilating on the Joint Statement issued after a cordial and constructive meeting with Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister said that it underlines the shared commitment of both the countries to chart a way forward for Pakistan- India relations.

Besides meetings with the Indian Prime Minister, the Prime Minister added that Pakistan's main focus of bilateral interaction was on South Asia, manifested in the fact that he met five South Asian leaders i.e. Presidents of Sir Lanka and Afghanistan and Prime Ministers of India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

On the issue of current electricity crises, the Prime Minister said that the country is in the grip of a severe electricity crisis. People across the country are braving long hours of load shedding in this hot and humid weather, men and women, children and elderly are suffering. Industry and Agriculture have been hit hard, economic output is down and jobs are being lost.

"I understand when common people, traders and industrial workers come on roads to protest against load shedding. I share their concern and my sympathies are with them. However, I wish they understand that the crisis is not of our making. We inherited this crisis and it can not be simply wished away," he said.

Addressing electricity crisis was our number one priority. It was part of the first 100 days programme of my government. Progress has been made. Implementation of new IPPs and Rental Power Plants is on track, he said.

A committee of Ministers has been constituted to monitor the situation on daily basis. With improvements in oil and gas supplies and coming into system of power from Mangla this week, the situation has started improving, he added.

He directed the relevant Ministries to do whatever is necessary to keep the existing power generation capacity running. He directed the Ministry of Water & Power to ensure commissioning of new IPPs and Rental Power Projects as per schedule.

In the meanwhile, the Prime Minister appealed to the nation to bear with the situation of the present. He assured the nation that his government will stay focused, people will see visible improvements in the power supply situation and the deficit will be bridged.

On Trade Policy, the Prime Minister said that it aimed at poverty alleviation, employment generation, and export-led growth to bring in greater benefits to common man in this country besides focusing on development of agriculture, Textile, SMEs and domestic raw materials.

The Prime Minister further said, "we live in challenging times, economically and otherwise. We have no option but to succeed. And succeed we will, with the support of the Pakistani nation that is united like never before and firm in its resolve to make Pakistan counted in the comity of nations."

Monday, July 27, 2009

mammon-mohan to soon lose sleep over the poor souls. And Suzanne arundhati will be writing another opinion piece telling the world about the average Indians blood-lust in wanting them hanged. the assorted “civil society and ngo” types will demand immediate release.

an interesting list of names. No? I can almost hear the gentle Page 3 folk tell us that “Ladoowala” and “Batterwala” are not mohammedan. They are in fact Parsi. that’s right folks – we now have parsi terrorists just like we had that hindu terrorist lady some time back

the parsi’s did it. they were upset about being marginalized and stereotyped in india!

Kashmir’s theater of the absurd never ceases to amuse. Now that it is apparent that some of the murdered victims’ families may have been involved – elaborate role playing will replace debate. Remember xena had first said that the victims had “sindoor” applied on their forehead – a not too subtle way of alleging rape by hindus, for the express purpose of hinduising the women, which shows you what these valley types actually think of their girls!It is a trusted formula with these agit-prop mohammedan kashmiri leaders. First say the hindus did it. when proved wrong – protest loudly. When proved wrong again – claim that the prophet has been maligned and …well, never mind you get the picture!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

New Delhi, July 25: India has denied a visa to Rebiya Kadeer, theUighur matriarch exiled by China, on the advice of Beijing whichaccuses the 62-year-old of inciting the recent violence in Xinjiang.

A former business tycoon whom China once toasted as a symbol of thesuccess of its multi-ethnic culture, Kadeer is now trying to mobiliseworld opinion against Chinese oppression of Uighurs.

The mother of 11, who is backed by the US, had applied to the Indianmission in Germany for a visa sometime early this year, before theJuly riots. She apparently wanted to meet Indians sympathetic to hermovement.

Government sources said Beijing was worried that she might meet theDalai Lama in India. "We have an understanding with the Chinesegovernment that we will not allow Indian soil to be used for politicalactivities against China," a senior official said.

The Uighur diaspora call Kadeer their "mother". The tiny and fierymatriarch, two of whose sons are in prison in China, recently told aWashington rally: "I consider myself the voice of millions of Uighurpeople. I consider myself as their tears."

KanchanGuptaI pray, Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against thedying of the light.

@kanchanguptadylan thomas would agree that you are doing your bit of raging. But isanyone listening? Fading of the light? Dubious elections, disregardfor nationall interest, dhritarashtra embrace of fading power,appeasement.India is surely going into that good night. The first large state inhistory to voluntarily dismantle itself. To satisfy private greed.Why have a figleaf of parliament and lots of little tin god MPs? Let'sadmit this is an autocratic monarchy: the only socialist one

i believe there are a couple of reasons for this shortfall, in addition to the fact that tax codes do not encourage philanthropy in india (it is likely that americans would also be less generous if there were no tax benefits -- note that as a nation, the US is far more stingy in its charitable funding abroad than most other rich countries).

one is the continuing legacy of a stalinist state: wherein a "shortage economy" is the norm. this also explains corruption, of course, as well as the senseless mayhem on indian roads -- people are, as it were, worrying the road will disappear, so they attempt to grab as much of it as possible. this is a rational reaction to a shortage economy, as is the great difficulty people have in queuing up at railway booking counters -- they are afraid things will run out before they get to the head of the queue.

since these are all remnants of the nehruvian mindset, you should be talking about the "nehruvian rate of growth", the much-loved 2-3% growth that nehru let us all 'enjoy' till recently. after all, nehru is gone and his rate of growth is also gone. this is additional reason for you to use this accurate term. after all, the hindus are still around, aren't they? so how could it be the "hindu rate of growth"? this was a racist and insulting term coined by a communist, raj krishna, for whom this is his 15-min -- and sole -- claim to fame.

as a paper that does not believe in equal-opportunity denigration of religions, you should stop using this horrible term forthwith. after all, i have read your paper for decades, and i have never seen you refer to pakistan's or somalia's growth rate as the "islamic rate of growth", or rwanda's or haiti's as "the christian rate of growth".

and we have good reason to believe (see angus maddison) that the historical and actual "hindu rate of growth" was the highest in the world -- after all, india was the richest country in the world till around 1700. in addition, let me point out that hindus (and buddhists) were highly philanthropic. the temples at tanjavur or sanchi, the remaining sculptures at hampi, the shelters for travelers constructed by asoka, the great universities at nalanda and taxila, the gau-shalas or shelters for cows -- all these bear inscriptions pointing to a tradition of giving not only by kings but also by rich citizens. the colonial loot of india by the british impoverished the society (the loot was of the order of $10 trillion in today's money), and the dirigiste stalinist state after independence actively prevented people from making money. after all, the state provides no social security, and it is up to individuals to hoard enough so that their children will be provided for.

therefore, it is unfair of you to ridicule the citizenry. the fault remains with the government and with the erstwhile thieves. india believed in butter, not guns. elementary mistake, because thugs with guns took all the butter away.

once again, let me request you to abjure the offensive phrase "hindu rate of growth" in your writing. it is demeaning, it is not historically accurate, and it is racist.

Sandhya Jain was kind enough to forward to me her recent exchange of messages (E-Mails) with you.

Normally, I do not wade into debates and dialogues between third parties. However, your scurrilous and intemperate letter to SJ has prompted me to write to you, although I find it most distasteful to write to persons of your level and mental make-up.

Sandhya is quite capable of engaging in a debate with you, but what upsets me is the offensive and gutter language you have used. You have the chutzpah to cast aspersions on other scholars who do not share your warped, distorted, perverted and concocted vision of Indian history and culture.

The problem, my boy, is that you are a contemporary version of an SS Schütze (broadly the equivalent of our Sepoy / Aircraftsman).

These chaps were the lowest echelons of that horrendous band of murderers and goons - their speciality was mass murder and mayhem. They are the ones who actually carried out the massacres and then pleaded "Ein Befehl ist ein Befehl" ("A command is a command") or some such piffle. I am sure your level and your intrinsic capabilities would not have enabled you to rise higher than this bottom-rung..

If you want to know more about the principal contribution of your fellow - Germans to world civilisation in the recent past, kindly read your Harvard colleague Daniel Goldhagen's seminal book "Hitler's Willing Executioners". Professor Goldhagen has an infinitely better justification for being a Harvard professor than a crypto - Nazi like you. However, I will let that pass.

Why don't you crawl back underneath the woodwork from where you emerged and leave Indian civilisation and its roots to deserving scholars and researchers ? While you are about to do your Stalingrad surrender act, why not take your desi henchmen and henchwomen with you ? You are truly dégoûtant - there is no English equivalent that conveys the distaste that civilised people feel for characters like you.

I am dismayed that a university founded by an ex-Cambridge man should allow poseurs and frauds like you to flourish and spread your venom from its portals. You have recently had your derrière whipped in the California text-book case - why don't you take some rest and lick your wounds ? Only a complete yahoo like you will claim that the CAPEEM judgement was in your favour. This is because your basic English comprehension and grasp are poor - a German translation for you, perhaps ? That can be arranged.

I would strongly recommend some serious introspection on your part. The same goes for your desi acolytes. A propos Smt. (Kumari) Thapar, I had asked Malcolm Bowie, Professor of French Literary History and the former Master of my college (Christ's) in 2003, whether it was possible for a person who knew no Greek and Latin to become a Professor of Ancient European History in any normal educational system in Europe and North America.

You can guess what his answer was. He wanted to know the context - when he was given the details, he was sad. The man was a genuine Indophile, unlike some others.

Just spare us your garbage and vinegar - I can suggest many areas of research in Germanic history that will occupy you and your Sancho Panza, Steve Farmer, for years. ( A caveat - the clown may not know your native tongue, but that should not be a problem for you lot).

kkkangress eager to recommend pak guy for heroism. ("sher khan"? so we have mowgli recommending sher kan for bravery?)

meanwhile, saurabh kalia, tortured to death by pak, is not recommended for heroism by kkkangress. he ain't no folk hero, either. thank you, burqa dutt et al.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Naresh

It is the height of stupidity & ignorance on the part of Indian forces & the evil congi leadership which operates by remote control from abroad. No wonder our people have continuously been used as cannon fodder by the cunning firengees using our simplemindedness & immaturity as weapons against us. We need complete overhaul & re-education in our nation, particularly the armed forces. Enough of all that nonsense about being "same people". An enemy is an enemy, no matter what & that creature must be destroyed at all costs so our nation can survive. It is not a childish game but a matter of "Survival" for our culture, dharma, race and nation. These morons at the helm can play these shenanigans somewhere else but not in my country. No wonder we have been losing our territory piecemeal since time immerorial because of these kinds of misguided beliefs & practices, Otherwise how can one explain & justify that only four provinces of the "greater unpartitioned Hindusthan" can hold the rest of the nation hostage for so long at such an exhorbitant cost in resorces -human & otherwise. Our mantra must be to "HATE & DESTROY OUR ENEMY" mercilessly at all costs who that may be in any shape or form. Finally, It is going to be either US or THEM. That is the final deciding factor. We all must work together to destroy evil congis & that nonsense known as gandhiism which given our people nothing but "Bhookh, Nang & divisiveness"

Naresh Khanna

Pak war hero honoured at India's recommendation

Vishal Thapar

CNN-IBN

WAR HEROES: Colonel K S Khan's native village has been named after him.

New Delhi: Pakistan army's Colonel Karnal Sher Khan, who died during the Kargil war, is remembered with great pride.

The man who fought on Tiger Hill from Pakistan's side was given the Nishan e Haidar, Pakistan's highest gallantry award on the recommendation of the Indian Army.

U.S. Assistant Attorney Kyra Jenner said Alamo's conviction would end his cycle of abuse, as he told his followers God instructed him to marry younger and younger girls.

After Susan Alamo's death in 1982, Alamo began focusing his tracts on bashing Catholicism and the Vatican. His ministry, built on the backs of followers who worked in various businesses to support the church, designed and sold elaborate denim jackets for celebrities.

comment: ah, yes, following in the footsteps of ayesha, i see. good "holy land" [sic] guy, the prophet was, equal opportunity for christist and mohammedan practices.

and i am glad to see the 'unity' that christists claim they are about.

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who built a multimillion-dollar ministry and became an outfitter of the stars, was convicted Friday of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines for sex. Alamo stood silently as the verdict was read, a contrast to his occasional mutterings during testimony. His five victims sat looking forward in the gallery. One, a woman he "married" at age 8, wiped away a tear.

why is this such a pattern in christism? that was a rhetorical question. a crazy imperialist death-cult worshiping mammon and built on nothing but lies -- naturally this is the kind of person it produces.

i particularly liked this prophet blaming godman ratzy for his troubles.

Evangelist Tony Alamo is led from the federal courthouse in Texarkana, Ark., on July 17 following a day of testimony in his trial. Alamo was convicted on 10 sex counts Friday.

Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who built a multimillion-dollar ministry and became an outfitter of the stars, was convicted Friday of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines for sex.

Alamo stood silently as the verdict was read, a contrast to his occasional mutterings during testimony. His five victims sat looking forward in the gallery. One, a woman he "married" at age 8, wiped away a tear.

"I'm just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel," Alamo called to reporters afterward as he was escorted to a waiting U.S. marshal's vehicle.

Shouts of "Bye, bye, Bernie!" — Alamo was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman —came from a crowd gathered on the Arkansas side of the courthouse, which is on the Texas-Arkansas border.

Jurors were convinced Alamo had had sex with the girls when they were underage, but deliberated for more than a day to ensure that they considered everything, jury foreman Frank Oller of Texarkana said.

"That was the evidence. That was proven," Oller said. "We came up with a full decision that we are quite satisfied with."

Defense lawyer Don Ervin said the evidence against the 74-year-old preacher was insufficient, and said the preacher would appeal. He also said Alamo's criminal history — he served four years in prison on tax charges in the 1990s — "will hurt him" at sentencing in six to eight weeks.

"We believe he will face the rest of his natural life in prison," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner. The penalties on the 10 charges total 175 years in prison, she said, and violations of the century-old Mann Act also carry fines of as much as $250,000 each.

The five women, who are now 17 to 33, told jurors that Alamo "married" them in private ceremonies while they were minors, sometimes giving them wedding rings. Each detailed trips beyond Arkansas' borders for Alamo's sexual gratification.

Alamo never testified. Though he announced to reporters that he wanted to, his lawyers told him he should not directly challenge their testimony. The attorneys argued to jurors that the girls traveled for legitimate church business.

State and federal agents raided Alamo's compound last Sept. 20 after repeated reports of abuse. Defense lawyers said the government targeted Alamo because it doesn't like his apocalyptic brand of Christianity.

Alamo has blamed the Vatican for his legal troubles, which include a four-year prison term for tax evasion in the 1990s.

With little physical evidence, prosecutors relied on the women's stories to paint an emotional portrait of a charismatic religious leader who controlled every aspect of his subjects' lives. No one obtained food, clothing or transportation without him knowing about it.

At times, men were ordered away from the compound, and their wives kept as another Alamo bride. Minor offenses from either gender drew beatings or starvation fasts.

In the end, prosecutors convinced jurors in Arkansas' conservative Christian climate that Alamo's ministry offered him the opportunity to prey on the young girls of loyal followers who believed him to be a prophet who spoke directly to God.

They described a ministry that ran on the fear of drawing the anger of "Papa Tony."

"You really appreciate the courage that they showed stepping up to face their demons," said Thomas Browne, the special agent in charge of the FBI office at Little Rock.

Alamo remained defiant during the trial. He referred to the Branch Davidian raid at Waco, Texas, muttered expletives during testimony and fell asleep at times — while alleged victims spoke from the witness stand and again as prosecutors urged his conviction.

He had built his multistate ministry on the backs of followers who worked in various businesses to support the church. In the 1980s, he designed and sold elaborately decorated denim jackets, hobnobbed with celebrities and owned a compound in western Arkansas that featured a heart-shaped swimming pool.

Federal agents seized a large portion of his assets in the 1990s to settle tax claims after courts declared his operations a business, not a church. Among items offered for auction were the plans for the studded jacket Michael Jackson wore on his "Bad" album.

The Southern Poverty Law Center considers his ministry a cult.

The woman considered to be Alamo's common-law wife, Sharon Alamo, and several other of his 100 to 200 followers missed the verdict, hustling up the courthouse stairs and entering an empty courtroom five minutes after court adjourned.

and then we have mammon-mohan singh (hat-tip agworld) of "swiss-account" fame, burqa dutt and other jaichands of "we-have-piss-in-our-time-with-pak" fame, and the kkkangress of "evm fraud" fame.

what is a mere lt. kalia compared to all this?

what is the worth of bhagat singh and rajguru and kartar singh sarabha and vishnu ganesh pingale?

nothing. they will be dismissed by shekar gupta and vir sanghvi with the tired cliche "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". are swiss bank accounts the first resort? is subverting the democratic process the second resort? is spin-doctoring the third?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

i wonder what religion this 'asian' man belongs to. perhaps not mohammedanism, i conjecture, because neither of these articles specify it. i wish they would stop using 'asian' and specify 'indian' or 'pakistani'. (yes, virginia, we are not the same. the former are normal human beings, the latter are violent, bigoted thugs.)

but then mohdan-on-mohdan violence is pretty spectacular, although their worst is reserved for infidels. remember the 13 year-old hindu boy in india whose face was smashed in and skull bashed in with stones by two 15-year-old mohdan boys because he was "talking to a mohdan girl". she was not related to the killers, but they considered her a "sister" -- in the broader sense of the ummah.

of course, the media just buried this story. imagine if two hindu boys had murdered a mohammedan boy! imagine the breast-beating, even if that mohdan had raped and murdered a hindu girl!

obvious moral: it is mohdans' job to kill, it is hindus' job to be killed without demur. why, even the mahatma would agree.

well, we have been talking about the ominous precedent of malayali preponderance at the center for some time. previous era, 1962 happened, and tibet was lost. in UPA I, nepal was lost. fully expect that arunachal and sikkim will be lost in UPA II.

it's like the eclipses and suchlike appearing. portents. bad.

my conjecture: malayalis have been so deracinated by christist indoctrination that they worship the usual christist god: mammon. and only mammon.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: K.V.

Sashi Tharoor quote read on Bharat-rakshak:

"It's all very well for the people to say that somehow India's interest compromised by few words on a piece of paper that is not a legal document. It is a diplomatic paper that is released to the press - different from the legal papers," said Tharoor.

Has Tharor no shame, spouting such incoherent rubbish? What does the above even mean?

And then you've got Shivashankar Menon & his "bad drafting", gawdhelpus, isn't he the grandson of Krishna Menon or something?

Last time someone looked out for India was when a golti (PVNR) was in charge.

When Narendra Modi won the 2007 state election in Gujarat, the media focused on Hindu-Muslim issues. Some journalists highlighted rapid industrial development that had made Gujarat India's fastest-growing state. I mentioned Gujarat's successful port-led development.

However, an excellent new study suggests that the secret of Modi's success lay in agriculture, an area completely neglected by political analysts. Ashok Gulati, Tushaar Shah and Ganga Sreedhar have written an IFPRI paper, 'agricultural Performance in Gujarat Since 2000', which highlights something few people know — that Gujarat's agricultural performance is by far the best in India. Between 2000-01 and 2007-08 agricultural value added grew at a phenomenal 9.6% per year (despite a major drought in 2002). This is more than double India's agricultural growth rate, and much faster than Punjab's farm growth in the green revolution heyday. Indeed, 9.6% agricultural growth is among the fastest rates recorded anywhere in the world. That drives home the magnitude of Gujarat's performance.

Since the bulk of Gujarat's population is still rural, this mega-boom in agriculture must have created millions of satisfied voters. Hence it must have played a major role in Modi's victory. Yet I did not see a single media analyst mention it.

Gujarat is drought prone, with 70% of its area classified as semi-arid and arid. Although journalists focus on the Sardar Sarovar Project, its canal network is hopelessly incomplete, and currently irrigates only 0.1 million hectares. No less than 82% of irrigation in the state comes from tubewells, which have depleted groundwater. By the mid-1990s, groundwater extraction exceeded natural recharge in 31 talukas, and 90% of the safe extraction yield in another 12 talukas.

In the 1990s, the state along with grass-roots organisations embarked on decentralised water harvesting. This included the building of check dams, village tanks, and bori-bunds (built with gunny sacks stuffed with mud). During the 2007 election campaign, the Congress slogan was 'chak de, chak de Gujarat'. I heard Modi say at a rally that his reply was "check dam, check dam Gujarat." I did not realise at the time how significant this really was.

The IFPRI study says that 10,700 check dams were built up to 2000, and helped drought-proof 32,000 hectares. That sounds a lot. But subsequently, under Modi, Gujarat has built ten times as many check dams! He could well say 'chak de, check dam'.

Rich Harvard, Poor Harvard

Only a year ago, Harvard had a $36.9 billion endowment, the largest in academia. Now that endowment has imploded, and the university faces the worst financial crisis in its 373-year history. Could the same lethal mix of uncurbed expansion, colossal debt, arrogance, and mismanagement that ravaged Wall Street bring down America's most famous university? And how much of the turmoil is the fault of former Harvard president Larry Summers, now a top economic adviser to President Obama? As students demonstrate, administrators impose Draconian cuts, and construction is halted on an over-ambitious $1.2 billion science complex, the author follows the finger-pointing.

Sordid reality behind Dubai's gilded facade

Construction halted, westerners jailed for adultery - but prostitutes do well

Rod Liddle

Andrew Blair says he will pick me up from outside my sleaze-bucket of a hotel, give it 20 minutes or so, got some work to finish off. He has a job again, contracts apparently "coming out of his ears", which is good, because until recently he had earned a certain notoriety for not having a job and, more to the point, for the manner in which he went about finding a new one.

He drove around Dubai, back in January this year, from the plug-ugly creek to the plug-ugly marina, in his white Porsche, with a sign in the back window saying he wanted a job; vroom vroom he went, gizza job. Scratch scratch scratch went the keys and coins along the side of his car whenever it was parked up.

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where the money comes from

GDP in 2007: £23 billion

Trading: 31%

Construction/ Real estate: 22.6%

Financial Services: 11%

Oil/Petrol/Gas: 5.8%

Dubai's foreign debt is well over 100% of its GDP

Annual incomes

Project manager, Construction: £57,576

Project manager, IT: £38,438

IT manager: £33,891

Construction worker: ± £993

Politics and human rights

1 No suffrage

2 Political parties illegal

3 Freedom of association and expression curtailed

The UAE refuses to sign the following treaties:

4 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

5 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

6 Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

So basically, the Indian govt are saying that terror attacks don't matter in our relations with Pakistan. And the Pakistanis are taking it further, now pretentiously asserting that they are victims of our terror, including the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team, which was obviously originally intended to target the Indian team which bowed out at the last moment.

Let's face it, the Kaangress has sold out our national interests, in the hope of earning enough US patronage to keep itself in power for perpetuity, like Japan's now faltering LDP. Kaangress are the new big stooges in Asia for the Americans to dote upon. And worst of all - not enough Indians even care or know enough to do anything about it.

Kaangress is easily the weakest link by far, in the national security setup.

Why should we have pretensions to being a "shooparpawar" when we are clearly no better than any African country, with our politicians stooping to selling out so easily and so shamelessly? The Americans clearly see the ugly truth that we ourselves are unwilling to recognize or admit -- that we are just an African-style country whose leaders can be bribed at a moment's notice.

There's the story about a man who spends much time, effort and money barricading his front door, to secure his home, only to fall prey to thieves who enter by the unsecured backdoor and rob him blind.

We all spend so much time debating the finer points of national security, policy and strategy, and meanwhile the Americans have effortlessly bypassed any and all considerations by cutting right to the chase: they're dangling in front of Kangress the prospect of it being able to stay in power for perpetuity in a secure setup, like Japan's LDP, and of course the greedy blighters in the Kaangress are hungrily leaping across the table, making a beeline for that which they crave most.

"Joint statement with Pak? No problem!""De-link terror from talks? Willingness to suffer more terrorist attacks! No problem! We politicians get Category Z security anyhow! No skin off our noses!"

This is what I call a nation of beggars. No decent people would accept this, or remain silent to this. But we will - because we're not decent. And as indecent people, we deserve the fate that befalls all indecent people. We deserve the terror attacks we get. This is the comeuppance we have earned through our collective apathy.

For all our talk of national security and public policy, the reality is that India is nothing but an African-style country, run by corrupt crooks who can be bribed into anything at a moment's notice. We are constantly proving Macaulay right.